Lakes Entrance Secondary College came together last week to support Do It For Dolly Day, a national awareness campaign held in memory of 14-year-old Dolly Everett, encouraging communities to stand together against bullying and support young people to be kind, speak up and support one another.
The week began on Tuesday with the college cross country event, followed by a blue-coloured fun run, with students and staff finishing the event covered in blue powder in support of Dolly’s Dream and its powerful message of kindness and inclusion.
Throughout the week, students also took part in a range of activities designed to encourage conversations around wellbeing, self-advocacy and being an upstander.
As part of their VCE-VM Literacy studies, the year 12 VCE-VM students went above and beyond in supporting the cause. The group organised and ran a range of fundraising and awareness activities across the school, including baking and selling sweet treats, brewing coffees for staff, hosting karaoke, running a “guess how many lollies in the jar” competition, and creating their own promotional material to spread awareness throughout the college.
The college community embraced the initiative, with students and staff getting involved in the activities and helping share Dolly’s message to “be kind and speak, even if your voice shakes.”
On Thursday, classrooms across the college took part in dedicated Dolly’s Dream activities during Pathways sessions.
Students watched the Dolly’s Dream origin story and participated in conversations around kindness, the impact bullying can have, and the importance of supporting one another. Students then created blue kindness flowers, which were displayed throughout the school as a visual reminder of the message behind the campaign.
The week concluded on Friday with lunchtime activities, with students and staff proudly dressed in blue in support of Do It For Dolly Day. Activities included blue jelly cups, cookie decorating, a Dolly’s Dream photo booth and country music played across the school, helping create a fun and positive atmosphere while still reinforcing an important message around kindness, inclusion and standing up for others.
Lakes Entrance Secondary College acting principal Daniel Clark said the week was a wonderful example of students supporting one another and creating positive change within the school community.
“Our students and staff really embraced the message behind Do It For Dolly Day,” Mr Clark said.
“It was fantastic to see so many young people getting involved, supporting one another and helping promote kindness throughout our school. We are especially proud of our year 12 VCE-VM students, who showed incredible initiative, leadership and enthusiasm throughout the week.”
The college would like to thank everyone who supported the activities and helped raise awareness for such an important cause.
